The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-07-20
Setting Up the Pins for Cleveland.


1t would seem from numerous indi-
cations that the especial friends Of Mr..
Cleveland are somewhat nervous over
the outcome of the next National Dem
ocratic Convention, fearful lest the
nomination be borne off by Gov. Hill
or some horse of still darker color.
A reorganization of the party in many
places is being effected, and the ma
chinery is being oiled with patronage
grease, civil-service theories not being
allowed to stand in the way of political
expediency.
Some little Importance attaches to
the mere mechanism and petty details
of party organization, but when it
comes to the choice of leader for O
great party in a National campaign the
great thing is to obey the commands of
public sentiment. If Grover Cleve-
lands want to be renominated he must
make himself the actual choice of that
great non-office seeking mass of his
party which must be deferred to or de-
feat at the polls would be foregone
conclusion. If he should win the prize
by the cunning manipulation of bench
men it would be only the stepping
stone to disaster. The only possible
! chance for him to be elected would be
to so conduct himself as to achieve
some genuine popularity. Thus far he
has made little if any Roadway in cap
turing the popular heart. He has
about one more year in which to make
up for lost time.
No political party can afford to ignore
the Importance of personal popularity.
Twice only did the Wings carry the
country, and in both cases it was be-
cause the candidate was stronger than
the party which nominated him.
Gems. Harrison and Taylor had records
which more than made up for any def
ciencies in their individual power to
awaken enthusiasm, and each was pitted
against politician of cold and selfish
temperament. In 1876 the Republic
cans, with all their strength, came very
near defeat because they made the mis-
take OF nominating man singularly
deficient in magnetic power. Four
years later they had a leader who
needed only to be lifted up" to draw
men to him. Mr.. Tilden did not need
a mugwump detection or Burchard
bigotry to insure New York. He car
red it by large majority, and that be-
cause he had personal popularity and
Mr.. Hayes had not. The New York
delegation in the Republican Conven-
ton, controlled by Mr.. Conkling,
dictated the nomination of Hayes, and
their own party in the State admins
tered a singing rebuke at the first OPP
portunity. -Four years later that dele
CATION, under the same malign intiu-
ence, was unable to influence the NOM
nation, and New York came out strong
at the polls, the Republican victory be-
ing by a large majority, and all this
because one candidate had the power
to call out the latent vote and the
other had not. The admonition of ex-
perience is equally applicable to both
parties.
In 1884 Mr.. Cleveland had the adj
vantage of being so little known that
his party could rally about an ideal,
much as the Republicans in 1856 raj
lied with enthusiasm about John G.
Fremont. The public had had in
neither case an opportunity to take the
mans measure. But the President
cannot enjoy that advantage second
time. The black horse is bleaching
out, and Will be at least a light gray
by 1889. If he runs at all it must be
upon his actual popularity and not
upon the strength Of an ideal fancy.
Artificial attempts to get up renomi-
nation boom will be sheer waste of
time and effort. The needs of the
country require genuine craftsmanship
in dealing with the more pressing
questions of the day, and Mr.. Cleve-
land has thus far shown no appreciation
whatever of them-not so much as q
faint conception of what is really going
on in the country. The little world OF
Office seeking and dispensing, together
with official routine, bears about the
same relation to the great interests OF
/ the nation that the district of Column
ba does to the United States. The
narrowest proyincialism on this CONT
tinent is to be found within the boun-
daries Of the District. and Mr.. Cieve-
land cannot afford to restrict his range
of vision to those more immediate sur
roundings. With the enterprise of the
country paralyzed by labor difficulties
and every avenue of industry fast fill
ing with the drsgs of Central Europe,
there is something more important for
this administration TO do than setting
up pins for itself, and Mr.. Cleveland
would do well to remember that the
boys at the lower end of the alley are
not the bowlers in the game.--Chi ago
Tribune.